Archmage of Alasta (2/2)

The archmage notes the suspicious look on Haalfrin's face, so he asks, "What's the matter, Haalfrin?"

"Eh...," Haalfrin looks down red in the face, then answers, "It's like spending your whole life poor, only for the richest man in the country to come up to you and ask you if you want to come under him and train to take his position; I just have a hard time understanding what you want from me."

The archmage brightens at this, "Oh, that's easy. I'm a lot older than most, and I have many connections with other high-ranked mages. Most truly useful knowledge and spells are usually kept locked up in secret libraries passed down from master to apprentice.

Giving a short cough, Kalastros composes himself again and continues, "But with my wide network, I've managed to trade knowledge with a lot of people and gain a pretty broad scope of magical knowledge."

"One of the things that most people don't know is... well, I'll start from the beginning..." Archmage Kalstros then explains, "There are 7 total gates in the soul… meaning there are 7 Names. Anyway, when a person unlocks their 7th gate, their soul ascends into the divine realm, and they're no longer bound to this world."

Haalfrin thinks briefly on his vision of Freyya's past. "So," Haalfrin asks, "all gods were once mortal?"

"Well…," the archmage replies, "There are cases of humans becoming gods… but I'm actually not sure if ALL gods were once mortal."

Kalastros gets back on topic. "Anyway, very few people have a law or ability written in their names, as you do. They have gates that merely give them the ability to learn spells – general purpose souls if you will. When these people ascend, their race evolves to something called a 'Starchild' in some cultures, and an "Immortal" in others. The Empire calls them 'Ascendants'. According to the words of the gods, they're called Starchildren because they can traverse the heavens and the stars without harm, and also Immortals because they practically live forever."

"However," the archmage leans forward and says, "for people like you, who have innate powers and laws written in your Names, they become gods instead upon getting the 7th Name. Gods have boundless power within their law, and they're the lords and kings of the divine realm."

"Ah…," Haalfrin mutters – finally understanding why Das wants his soul so badly now. This is because he has the potential to become a god – a death god, more specifically!

Thinking this, Haalfrin gets upset, since his desire to be with his family has been thwarted because of one god's greed to own another future god.

On second thought, he's a little weirded out that he's not gaping in shock at being told he's a god-candidate.

With this new information at hand, Haalfrin realizes that Archmage Kalastros is likely sincere in wanting him as an apprentice. What other honest motive could you have than training up someone with a talent so rare that you'll never see it again in your lifetime?

No politics, secret schemes… just a pure desire to teach. This makes Haalfrin relieved.

Even still, Haalfrin can't just accept the offer lightly – especially since he has his own plans for himself. So, he opens his mouth and says, "I'll give an answer about being your apprentice later…, after thinking about it."

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Over dinner that evening, Haalfrin considers the archmage's offer. Seeing that nobody's here to disturb his meal, he's grateful to be left alone this whole time – better thinking that way.

Haalfrin sits pensively on his bed as he slowly nibbles on a toasted slice of bread, 'If I become the archmage's apprentice, then he'll teach me a lot of useful spells, and I'll become a proper mage. If I get a lot stronger, then it'll become harder and harder to kill me in battle.'

He suddenly takes a large aggressive bite out of his bread. 'I can't have that!'

'Still,' Haalfrin thinks, 'I'm a pretty greedy person. The chance to train with a powerful mage? The chance to understand my powers? What about godhood? If I train my powers to the pinnacle, I could become a god! How cool would that be!?'

Of course, this idea would move Haalfrin!

In the end, Haalfrin decides to decline the offer, though it makes his heart bleed thinking about it.

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The next morning, when Haalfrin tells the archmage of his decision, the old man is flabbergasted and grips his table in agitation. 'Why?!' Kalastros gasps. 'Is there any good reason to turn this down?!'

Haalfrin coughs awkwardly. 'Well,' the boy explains, 'I've… never actually told you that there was another complication in my relationship with Das. You see…'

The young mage takes a few minutes to explain his background, his desire for death, and his subsequent rationale behind turning the mage down. The old man seems sincere, so Haalfrin feels he deserves nothing but the truth.

The archmage starts tapping his foot hard and fast as he thinks, 'It'd be a massive waste to let a god-candidate squander his life away without reaching his true potential. I have to convince him! Somehow…'

Knowing exactly what's on the old man's mind, Haalfrin smiles and waits patiently for the old man to finish coming up with an argument.

Kalastros finally opens his mouth, "Have you heard of the Threshold, boy?"

Haalfrin tilts his head, "I've heard stories..."

"What kind of stories?" Kalastros asks.

"The kind about horrible monsters on the other side of a mysterious gate in Brancotte Empire," Haalfrin answers. "They say heroes go there to protect our world."

Kalastros scratches his head. "Well," he adds, "The residents on the other side COULD be monsters, depending on how you look at it. There are 2 sentient races on the other side - the Drakin tribe, which we call the 'dragons' over here, and the Rehkin tribes, which we call the 'beast people'. They're both incredibly strong – far stronger than humans, anyway."

Haalfrin gets a little curious and asks, "Why are you bringing this up?"

The archmage looks down and says, "Well… Brancotte has a treaty with all the surrounding kingdoms that all 3 gate mages and stronger will be sent to defend the Threshold. I used to be there… until I grew old and was allowed to retire."

"What was it like?" Haalfrin asks with curiosity written in his eyes.

"It was…," Kalastros says solemnly, "terrifying. The dragons especially are terrifying. A single one can stomp a fortress flat. They're greedy, aggressive, and unforgiving."

"The beast people…," the old man continues, "are pretty scary in their own way. They have powerful spiritual links with each other, and these Spirit Threads make it practically impossible to defeat them; if we kill a thousand, then a thousand spirits will linger behind and continue adding their strength to their clan. They're persistent and highly volatile, and they NEVER forget a grudge. You anger one, and the entire clan will hound you for all eternity. I've heard their ancestors will even hunt you down in the afterlife and never let your soul know peace."

'Huh,' Haalfrin thinks, 'I'll have to check up with Freyya or Das about that later. The Rehkin sound pretty annoying.'

Kalastros looks down and smiles. "But… the residents on the other side of the world gate aren't evil; they're just very strong and unpredictable; they're a lot like humans in that sense; there's always going to be some who want to kill, kill, kill… but you can always pick up a few friends from among them."

Haalfrin frowns a little and asks, "So… Why'd you bring the Threshold up?"

"I already brought up my point before," Kalastros replies as he leans back against the wall. "If you can get to be a 3rd gate mage, you can go to the Threshold; rather, you WILL go there; it's by far the most dangerous battlefield – far more dangerous than anything you'd find here, anyway."

The archmage bends down and looks Haalfrin in the eyes. "You want to die gloriously in battle against a foe too great for you, right?"

"…Right."

"So," Kalastros continues, "since you're a god candidate, you're not going to find any real rivals in this world once you amass your power a bit more and get a bit more experience. Frankly, you won't likely survive till old age like I did – especially if the Threshold Commander sees your talent and uses you well."

The archmage straightens his back and smiles. "I know the current Threshold commander very well. I can give him a recommendation letter for you – letting you be deployed outside the walls, where it's the most dangerous."

Haalfrin looks up as he's contemplating his options. He thinks, 'If I can make it to the Threshold, I'll be fighting on the biggest and baddest battlefield available… but I'll have to get stronger first.'

He looks over to the old man, who's staring at him expectantly. 'Plus,' Haalfrin considers, 'I really wanted to learn great magic and become a god eventually. I'd like to at least spend my afterlife having the status and ability to look after my clan.'

After coming to a decision, Haalfrin grins and holds out his hand. "It's a deal?"

"It's a deal!" the archmage laughs in joy as he pats Haalfrin's head again."